*Miscellaneous 1960 Onwards: Long ago in the days before the Direct Sales network of Comics Shops, there was one last valiant attempt in 1975 to conquer the mass-market newsstands which were, in 1975, the way most people still picked up their comics. Atlas Comics was launched on many glossy promises of royalties, creator ownership, return of original art, health insurance, merchandising percentages – all the things Marvel and DC had failed to provide for the new generation of writers and artists. Initially the imprint offered a tempting line-up of creators – Adams, Ploog, Ditko, Wood, Thorne, Heath, Sekowsky, and many more – on a diverse and intriguing set of characters, from the distant past to the far-flung future. However, three things scuppered the burgeoning line: they were a bit too diverse, with their characters too far apart in space and time to form a distinctive ‘universe’; the proposed benefits were rapidly reneged upon, causing many of the high-profile signings to jump ship very quickly; and DC and Marvel, it was alleged, conspired to put out multitudinous new series in an attempt to crowd Atlas off display, figuring that newsagents would give the limited space to a known ‘brand’ rather than an upstart. This last has never been proved, but it’s a fact that both companies suddenly lumped out a buttload of largely rubbish titles during this period – draw your own conclusions! Few of the Atlas titles reached the dizzying heights of #4, and most died after their first or second issues, but we have a high grade selection of this last great assault on the newsstands new in. Barbarians (featuring Ironjaw), Demon Hunter, Grim Ghost (Ernie Colon’s eerie and intelligent supernatural thriller), Ironjaw, Morlock 2001, Phoenix (no, not Jean Grey), Planet of Vampires, Police Action, Scorpion (Howard Chaykin’s loving tribute to the pulp heroes), Targitt, Tiger-Man, and Wulf the Barbarian.